On addressing the ceremony, Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Deputy Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, stressed on the joint effort made by local and foreign artists, agencies, companies, volunteers and children, which, she said, showed the love and friendship that people have for Hanoi.

Katherine Muller Marin, Chief Representative for UNESCO in Hanoi, expressed her joy at the work of art with journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy, who initiated the project, saying that Thuy got local people and foreigners to create the work, combined with culture, art and history, to make it more attractive and understandable, which will help to raise public awareness of the country’s heritages.

The mosaic mural came from an idea by Thuy, a journalist and painter who works for the Hanoimoi newspaper with full support from the city’s authorities.

It was created from 2007 to 2010, involving 20 Vietnamese and 15 foreign artists and 500 children from across the country and around the world plus 100 craftsmen from traditional ceramic villages, including Phu Lang, Bat Trang, Chu Dau and Binh Duong.

The project, which runs for nearly 4 km along the Red River Dyke, features images of Vietnam’s history, countryside and traditional craft villages.